Steering and controlling device.



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APPLICATION FILD MAB 8. 1905.

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PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

l 3.1M. A. B. MUNRo.' .STEERING AND CONTROLLING DEVICE.

' VAEILIUA'JIION FILED MAB. 8. 1905.

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ROBERT MAGN US AUGUSTUS BENJAMIN MUN RO, OF PARIS, FRANCE. STEERING AND CONTROLLING DEVICE.

To LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, .ROBERT MAGNUs AUGUSTUS BENJAMIN MUNRo, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering and Controlling .Devices for Automobiles and Like of which the following is a specification,

Iy invention relates to improvements in steering and controlling devices for automobiles and like vehicles, and has for its objects to arrange such steering and controlling members of thevehicle in a more convenient and compact manner than hitherto, to facilitate the operation of the several devices, and generally to effect the improvements hereinafter indicated.

According to my invention I arrange all or the majority of the controlling members of the vehicle above and in close proximity to the hand-wheel., without interfering in any way with the steering functions performed by the latter.

To effect this object I provide a tubular member which is fitted into the steering pillar, and such member is provided with screwthreaded rods which can be rotatedfrom the upper extremity and in this way blocks or nuts are caused to travel longitudinally thereon, thus actuating flexible power-transmitting members passing down through the steering pillar.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and easily carried out I will proceed to describe it with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a longitudinal section of one form thereof, Fig. 2 is an elevation of a modified construction, Fig. 3 being a longitudinal section of the same, Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line A.. .B of Fig. 3.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, I provide a tubular member a fitted into or on the steering pillar, or extending therefrom, which incloses the whole ofthe controlling mechanism. rl.`he steering hand-wheel l(not shown) may be mounted upon the upper or other convenient part of such tubular member or extension a and the latter may be slotted or grooved longitudinally as seen at b `from end to end or within suitable limits to receive lugs c, c1 of one or more internally screwthreaded sockets, blocks, nuts or the like d, d1. The said nuts d, d1 or the like are moved l Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 8, 1905. Serial Vehicles,

.atenteol May 14, 1907. No. 249,147. l

up and down in scribed within the said tubular member or extension a and the lugs the saine from turning in the said member a. Extending down or fitted within such tubular member a in suitable bearings is a central rod or spindle 'e screw-threaded at its lower partf and adapted to be rotated by a handle or lever g formed on or secured to the upper extremity thereof. Upon such lower externally screw-threaded part f, which may be of any desired length, travels up and down the internally screw-threaded socket, block or nut d1 and it will be seen that the operation of the handle g effects such travel by means of the engaging screw threads. Around the upper part of such central rod or tube e may be loosely fitted in suitable bearings a further externally screw-threaded sleeve h engaging with the socket, block or nut d and capable of rotation by means of a handle or lever i to effect the longitudinal and independent t'ravel of such block or nut d. If desired any number of similar sleeves may be fitted each adapted to be operated by a suitthe manner hereinafter deable handle to effect the travel of an engaging block or nut as above described.

Each of the said blocks or nuts d, d1 has fastened thereto or xed therein by a nipple y', jl respectively or the like a wire or cable c,

1 serving to control the operated device. As such blocks or nuts d, d1 are arranged vertically one above the other the lower is provided with holes or slots such as shown at Z wherethrough the u Vper attached wires or cables may pass. I desired the said cables or wires may take the form of chains passing through brass or like tubes or over pulleys to the device to be operated. Preferably, however, the operating wires or cables c, 1 are the inner members of the Bowden transmission mechanism, which consists of two flexible members, an inner operating wire and an outer spiral incompressible coil as described in the specification of prior Letters Patent of the United States No. 609,570 dated Aug. 23, 1898, granted to E. M. Bowden, and in this case a washer or the like m with holes or openings therein fitted or held in the lower part of the tubular member or extension a IOO l would form the stop for the abutment of the ers n, nl of such opaccording to the arrangement fixed to a quadrant; each mayv rio above described of being turned one or more complete circles so that the course ot the nuts or blocks d, d1 is practically unlimited and may if convenient be several inches according to the travel it is desired to give to the advance sparking, gas throttle or other valves or members to be operated.

Referring now to the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5, I may arrange by means oi' the Bowden mechanism to overcome the objection sometimes made that it is awkward in practice 'to give more than one complete 'revolution to the operating handle or lever. A complete revolution even when using a coarse thread for the actuated blocks or nuts does not give a pull to the cable of more than about an inch at the operated end. By so arranging the Bowden mechanismas to move both the inner and outer members away from each other at the actuated end, that is to say, while giving a pull upon the inner to also givea push upon the outer or vice versa, twice the movement or pull is transmitted to the operated end by an equivalent actuation oi' the handle or lever, which in the case hereinbefore described would have only transmitted halt1 the pull to the operated end.

According to this part of my invention, the tubular member a and the longitudinal slot b (shown in Fig. 5) are provided as before, a portion or lug of the blocks or nuts in each case extending into the slot to prevent their rotation, but the rod e1 and sleeve h1 are each here externally screw-threaded with two portions ormed with opposite threads o, p and g, 1 respectively. Upon each of these oppositely threaded portions is arranged a block or nut o1, p1, g1, 7"* similar to those above described, the upper block or nut q1 being attached to the nipple of the inextensible member 7c and the lower` r1 being bored to two diameters and thus providing an abutment for the incompressible member n. Slots or openings Z1 in the blocks or nuts 01, p1 allow the incompressible member n to pass freely therethrough with the inextensible member 7c therein. The two lower blocks or nuts 01, p1 are constructed in similar manner to take the nipple j1 of the inextensible member icl and to Jform a stop for the incompressible member nl respectively.

Upon the actuation of the lever or handle g1, the rod e1 is rotated, and by reason of the opposite threads o and p, the blocks or nuts 01, p1 are caused to travel away from or toward each other, both members of' the Bowden mechanism being actuated at the same time, the blocks in traveling away from each other giving equally a pull upon the inextensible .member k1, and a push upon the incompressible member nl, which actuation is converted at the operated end into a pull equal to the distance that the two nuts or blocks o1, p1 have been separated from each other. ln like manner the handle or lever i, rotating the sleeve or tube h1 operates the other length of Bowden mechanism. 'lhis arrangement oi blocks or nuts can be adopted for any desired number of sleeves or tubular Vmembers in order to convert a small actuation ol the lever or handle connected thereto into the amount of work required at the operated end.

A very convenient and compact construetion to enable the handles oi' levers to be moved with precision and to be retained in any desired position is to provid a eireular ring or rack S having pertirations t therethrough, the said ring being held inposition The said handles or levers gl, 'il are so litted as to travel around the ring s above and below respectively. Studs 'e upon the said levers engage in the said periorations t on top and bottom and. the levers being oll spring Aform can be raised or lowered lirom such pel'- forations in order to be rotated.

Although l have described the members as passing down inside the steering pillar yet it will be understood that the method ol' right and lett-handed nuts or bloelis could be also applied with advantage when the members passed outside the steering pillar or in any other convenient position.

That i claim as my invention and. desire to secure by Letters Patent olf the United States is l. in steering and. controlling mechanism for automobiles, the eoml. 'nati on ol? a spindle, a sleeve mounted on said spindle, non-rotatable nuts threaded on said spindle and sleeve, and transmitting devices operated b v said nuts.

in steering and controlling mechanism for automobiles, the combination ol? a threaded spindle, a threaded sleeve mounted thereon, means forrotating said spindle and sleeve, nuts threaded on said spindle and sleeve and held against rotation thereon, and. transmitting devices connected to said nuts.

3. in steering and controlling meehanism for automobiles, in combination, a spindle, a sleeve mounted thereon, means whereby said spindle may be manually rotated. in either direction, means whereby said sleeve may be similarlyrotated, nuts threaded on said spindle and sleeve and held against rotation thereon, and transmitting devices eonneeted to said. nuts.

4. ln steering and controlling` mechanism, in combination, a tubular member having i longitudinal slot, a threaded spindle within said member, a threaded sleeve mounted to rotate on said spindle, n \ans1tor rotating said spindle and sleeve, nuts threaded on said spindle and sleeve and having` lugs project ing through said slot, and tlexible transmittingr l devices connected to said nuts.

y 5. ln steering and controlling meclmnism, in combination, a spindle, a sleeve inelosing l the same at one end, nuts threaded on said bv an arm uV 'liXed to the tubular member e.'

lOO

Y the other nut.

spindle and sleeve, means for preventing the other nuts threaded on the threaded portions rotation of said nuts on said spindle and of said sleeve, means for preventing the rotaz 5 sleeve, transmitting Wires connected to said tion of said nuts, transmitting Wires connectnuts, coils inclosing said Wires, and a stop for ed to certain nuts on said spindle and sleeve, said coils. and transmitting coils inclosing said Wires 6. The combination of a threaded spindle, and abuttlng against theother nuts on said a threaded sleeve inclosing the same, nuts spindle and sleeve. 3o threaded on said spindle and sleeve and held 9. In steering and controlling mechanism againstrotation thereon, and iiexible trans` for automobiles, in combination, a tubular mitting members connected to both nuts, one member, a perforated ring mounted thereon, of said members passing through one nut to 1 a spindle Within said member, a sleeve rotatable on said spindle, transmitting mechan- 3 5 7. The combination of a spindle having ism operated by said spindle and sleeve, and oppositely threaded portions,asleeve mountlevers connected to said spindle and sleeve ed on said spindle and also having oppositely above and below said ring and having studs threaded portions, and non-rotatable nuts to take intothe perforations thereof.

threaded on such threaded portions of said In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as 4 0 spindle and sleeve. my invention, I have signed my name in 8. The combination of a spindle having presence of two subscribing Witnesses. oppositely threaded portions, a sleeve inclos- ROBERT MAGNUS AUGUSTUS BENJAMIN MUN R0.

ing said spindle at one end and also having Witnesses:

' oppositely threaded portions, nuts threaded JOHN BAKER,

onbsuch threaded portions of said spindle, PAUL F. PAQUET. 

